𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐭

xx. I MISSED YOU

"Eleven.." Mike said softly as they approached one another. "Mike." Eleven whispers then they embrace each other, the girl gasping softly. The two hug, holding each other tight and Charles smiled, watching them. "Is that.." Max said, looking at Lucas and Charles on the left side of her.

"El.." Charles whispers as Lucas and Dustin both nodded their heads. The two hugged for a couple more seconds before Mike pulls back, "I never gave up on you. I called you every night. Every night for—" "353 days." She said, cutting him off as she shaked her head and Charles smiles.

"I heard." She said when she noticed Mike staring at her, shocked. "Why didn't you tell me you were there? That you were okay?" He asked her and Hopper steps closer. "Because I wouldn't let her." He said and Mike turns to him.

"The hell is this? Where have you been?" He asked as he walks over to Eleven, Mike walking around him. "Where have you been?" Eleven asked sassily right back but nevertheless the two also embrace each other making Charles smile more.

"You've been hiding her." Mike said, ruining the moment shared between the two who have seemed to bonded over the past year. "You've been hiding her this whole time!" Mike shouted before shoving Hopper who turns to him.

"Hey!" He said as he grabs Mike's shirt harshly. "Let's talk. Alone." He said and as the two walk away, Eleven looked worried. Charles walks over to her. "Charles." She said and he wraps his arms around her waist, smiling. He squeezed her gently before pulling back. "I missed you so much, El." He said with a smile as he puts a hand to her face. "I missed you too." She said, also smiling. He really couldn't believe she was finally back.

She turns to the other two, Dustin and Lucas who she hugged at the same time, the two hug her back instantly. Charles watched them with a smile on his face, holding his hands together behind his back. "We missed you." Lucas says.

"I missed you, too." Eleven told them. "We talked about you pretty much every day." Dustin said and Charles smiled at that. The two pull apart from the girl who was looking at Dusin. She notices something different before reaching out and sticking her thumb into Dustin's mouth making the boy grimace as she felt his teeth. "Teeth." She said and Charles gave a slightly confused look.

"What?" He asked. "You have teeth." She clarified causing Dustin to smile proudly, looking at Lucas then at Charles who both smile at him. "You like these pearls?" Dustin asked then purred at her causing her to be surprised as Lucas gave an annoyed look at him and Charles chuckled at that.

"Eleven?" They all turn to Max who walked over. "Hey." She said making Charles smile. "Um, I'm Max." The ginger said, holding her hand out towards their brunette friend. "I've heard a lot about you." She said as she kept her hand out. Eleven simply looks away, then walked past her as Charles looked down, frowning. He was hoping that they would get along, Dustin and Lucas say nothing as Eleven went over to hug Joyce next.

"She'll come around.." Charles quickly says to Max, squeezing her arm before walking past her as well right when Eleven pulled back from Joyce. "Can I see him?" She asked. Will.

Charles walked with Eleven and Joyce into the bedroom where they put Will, "he's not doing well." Joyce said as she sat down and Eleven kneeled by the bed. Charles stood at the end of the bed, watching Eleven stare at Will for a while.

"I know." She said and Charles frowned slightly. "I saw." She explained when Joyce looked at her, confused by that. "What else did you see?" She then asked and the girl looks at her before looking away, at Will. Joyce and Eleven walk into the kitchen with Charles. Eleven stood in front of the table, looking down at the back of a notepad that had CLOSE GATE written on it in red crayon.

"You opened this gate before, right?" Joyce asked her and Charles looks at Eleven who looked up. "Yes." She said as the others who were in the living room, all came over to where they were. "Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?" Joyce asked and Charles looks at Joyce. Eleven looked at the woman beside her, then looked at Charles who looks back at her.

      After Hopper and Mike came back out to join them, everyone stood in the kitchen, all gathered together as they all spoke. "It's not like it was before. It's grown." Hopper said as he stood side by side with Sarah, both leaning against the counter with his hand on her lower back. "A lot. And I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs." He says.

     "Demo-dogs." Dustin says as he turns towards the two. "I'm sorry, what?" Hopper said. "I said, uh, Demo-dogs." The curly haired boy says and Charles sighs. "Like Demogorgon and dogs." He explained as Charles crossed his arms.

     Charles rolled his eyes as Dustin spoke, "you put them together, it sounds pretty badass—" "How is this important right now?" The man asked the young teen who looks away. "It's not. I'm sorry." He said. "I can do it." Eleven said from beside Charles who looks at her right away. "You're not hearing me." Hopper said. "I'm hearing you. I can do it."

    "Even if El can, there's still another problem." Mike said and Charles nods. "If the brain dies, the body dies." The blue eyed boy said as he looks up. "I thought that was the whole point." Max said, confused by this. "It is, but if we're really right about this.." Mike says as Charles looks at Eleven. "If El closes the gate and kills the mind flayer's army.. Will's apart of that army." He said to them.

     "Closing the gate will kill him." Mike said and Charles felt absolutely crushed by that, he looks down. He thinks of Will dying, not only like last year where he went missing and he appeared to be alive along in the upside down, but actually dead. He wouldn't be able to live with himself.

   

   

     

     

     

     

      

authors note so.. um.. i wanna cry because this fic is almost over 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺